Newb here just looking for a little input

[mcmav101]

I bought a drum set a few years ago and when I was starting to get into learning it I ended up getting a divorce and the drum set ended up in storage. I have recently decided to give it another go after watching Drumline. I got on ebay and was looking at a few sets of Electronic sets and ended up bidding on and winning a TD-5 set that included the following for 285 dollars and 30 shipping.

5 - PD-5 drum trigger pads
1 - KD-5 kick drum trigger
1- PD-7 hi hat trigger/pedal
1- TD-5 sound module
1- aluminum rack with all the hardware
7 - patch cords to hook up all drums to sound module
1- power adapter for the sound module


I guess first off was that an alright deal? Second of all can I add some cymbals to this set and if so do they have to be PD-5 cymbals which look just like a normal pad or can I go with some other brands such as the yamaha's ect. Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Once again I am just learning so please take it easy on me.

Rich

[WildWes]

Welcome to the forum and back to drumming mcmav101. The TD-5 is a discontinued Roland kit, but $315.00 doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. I'm not a Roland user and can't really answer your Yamaha cymbal question, but there are plenty of Roland users here who will probably jump in with an answer for you. Welcome aboard. WW

[dschrammie]

Hey McMav, welcome to the forum! There's definitely a lot to learn hear so stick around and see what everyone has to say.

The TD-5 is a relatively old module, but I think for the amount of stuff that you got, it sounds like it's probably an acceptable deal. From what I understand, the module has 8 dual-trigger inputs. That's enough for you to have a kick, snare, hhat, 3 toms, a crash and a ride (or whatever combination you'd like...maybe you want 2 toms and 2 crashes...whatever, you can assign instruments in any way). The dual-trigger means that if you use dual trigger pads, you can have 2 different sounds/voices available from a single pad. This would mean you'd strike the center of the pad to get one sound, and the rim of the pad to get another sound. This was common to use for getting additional percussion sounds, like a cowbell, etc. At the time that it was made, it was pretty cool. But it may not be entirely satisfying because it's not a natural feel.

You can use other types of pads for cymbals. There's even a way for you to make 2 separate cymbal pads connect to a single input...this involves building a circuit yourself, so it may be a little more than you want to get into at this point. I think at this point, just sit down and play with it and start to get used to the set. Get a feel for what you like and what you don't like and then you can start thinking about where you want to go with it.
Here's a link with the manual in case you don't have it:
http://soundprogramming.net/drum_machines/roland/roland_td_5

Also, just know that modules have gone through a ton of changes since the TD-5 was made. The user interfaces have typically gotten easier, the processing much more powerful, and the general sounds have gotten far more realistic. So if you find that you don't like the sounds that you get out of the TD-5, don't let that make you think that electronic drums are bad...they've come a LONG way. Of course, the costs reflect that as well. Anyway, learn what you can here, play with the module's settings, and then think about what you want to get out of playing e-drums.

(oh, and sorry...I tend to babble)

[mcmav101]

Oh by all means Babble away. You seem to learn alot when people babble especially if they stay on topic like you did. Thank you for the information. I just finished clearing a space and the drums are to be delivered today so I will get to sit down at them and play a bit. I am sure that this set will just be a stepping stone for me and I have a 6 year old son who has really taking a liking to my snare drum that I got out of storage but the rest of the household does not seem to like it as much. I will be following the forums very closely and learning all that I can learn.

Thanks again.

[dschrammie]

Ah, fantastic. I was thinking that this really would be a good way to get started and move on from there if you like it...having a child to pass it down to is fantastic. My 1-1/2 year old absolutely loves when I let her play. Fortunately the set you have is also pretty solid so you don't really have to worry about your kid putting a stick through a head or cracking a cymbal...and the parents' favorite part: you control the volume!

Oh, and you should also know that the PD-5 pads are not dual-trigger pads. You'd need to go to PD-7 or PD-9 pads to get dual sounds. But I'd probably recommend just going to an upgraded set-up and giving this to your kid before spending the money on those pads...that's my opinion at least.

[Racer52]

Welcome back to the drum world mcmav101,

Sounds like you scored a good deal on your kit. Dschrammie gave you some good input. I would agree..play on it a while and see what you like and dislike. That will aslo give you time to filter through some of the DIY options for improvements if you want to go that route. For me, the big issue was the hard playing surfaces. There is a ton of DIY stuff on building mesh pads....you can easily build a dual trigger, mesh head pad too! Anyway, welcome, and enjoy your newly rediscovered passion.

[TAKnipe]

Rich, Welcome and thank you for joining the discussion.

There are some that would argue that the TD5 was the best of the older technology since it had so many options and tweaks. I know locally my business partner in one of Knipe Drums endeavors still uses it for his practice sessions. It is a truly versatile module and great for expansion if you ever decide to expand your setup.

Great deal you got also, Please we would love to see some pics of your setup once it is finished, Tom :)

[mcmav101]

Well thanks for the input from everyone. So far so good it seems. I did however go to a local place and play the HD-1. Man it sounds so much cleaner and better than my set does. But for now this will work. I am learning to play as much as I can and cant wait for the roland software to come out. I am sure I will learn much more when that software finally hits.

I have learned quite a bit so far and have really been practicing on reading music.

I will post a few pics soon of the setup I have so far.

Rich

[ghostman]

the newer modules are quite nice. your TD-5 should be fairly decent. if you decide to upgrade / change out - I would recommend the TD-4 over the HD-1. or stick with the TD line in general. the HD-1 is the super intro kit, and not very upgradable. your pads should work with most modern Roland modules, just may not take advantage of some of the features. the current lines are TD-4, TD-9, TD-12, and the TD-20. the higher the number, the more $$$$$. LOL!

Weird, numerically, the TD-4 is less than your TD-5.. but it was announced months ago - replacing the TD-3. go Roland marketing!

Anyway, don't be afraid to ask. Tho, be afraid of some of the answers. just kidding.

[mcmav101]

I ended up putting my TD-5 on Ebay and sold it for about what I bought it for. Then went out and bought a yamaha DTXPlorer set. Was looking at the HD-1 but do not like the upgradeability of it if I ever do decide to. I actually like the Yamaha much better. The pads are actual pads that actually have some bounce back to them as opposed to the PD-5 Pads. All in all I like it so far.

Rich